Creates a new BEntry object that represents the entry described by the arguments. See the analogous SetTo() functions for descriptions of the flavorful constructors.

The default constructor does nothing; it should be followed by a call to SetTo().

The copy constructor points the new object to the entry that's represented by the argument. The two objects themselves maintain separate representation of the entry; in other words, they each contain their own a) file descriptor and b) string to identify the entry's a) directory and b) name.

To see if the initialization was successful, call InitCheck().

Closes the BEntry's file descriptor and destroys the BEntry object.

These functions return the leaf name and full pathname of the BEntry's entry. The arguments must be allocated before they're passed in.

GetName() copies the leaf name into buffer. The buffer must be large enough to accommodate the name; B_FILE_NAME_LENGTH is a 100% safe bet:

char name[B_FILE_NAME_LENGTH];
entry.GetName(name);

If GetName() fails, *buffer is pointed at NULL.

GetPath() takes the entry's full pathname and initializes the BPath argument with it. To retrieve the path from the BPath object, call BPath::Path():

BPath path;
entry.GetPath(&path);
printf(">Entry pathname: %sn", path.Path());

If GetPath() fails, the argument is Unset().

Gets the directory, as a BEntry or BDirectory object, in which the object's entry lives. The argument must be allocated before it's passed in.

If the function is unsuccessful, the argument is Unset(). Because of this, you should be particularly careful if you're using the BEntry-argument version to destructively get a BEntry's parent:

if (entry.GetParent(&entry) != B_OK) {
   /* you just lost 'entry' */
}

This example is legal; for example, you can use destructive iteration to loop your way up to the root directory. When you reach the root ("/"), GetParent() returns B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND:

BEntry entry("/boot/home/fido");
status_t err;
char name[B_FILE_NAME_LENGTH];

/* Spit out the path components backwards, one at a time. */
do {
   entry.GetName(name);
   printf("> %sn", name);
} while ((err=entry.GetParent(&entry)) == B_OK);

/* Complain for reasons other than reaching the top. */
if (err != B_ENTRY_NOT_FOUND)
   printf(">> Error: %sn", strerror(err));

This produces:

> fido
> home
> boot
> /

Gets the entry_ref for the object's entry; ref must be allocated before it's passed in. As with BEntry objects, entry_ref structures can be abstract—getting a valid entry_ref does not guarantee that the entry actually exists.

If the function isn't successful, ref is unset.

GetStat() returns the stat structure for the entry. The structure is copied into the st argument, which must be allocated. The BStatable object does not cache the stat structure; every time you call GetStat(), fresh stat information is retrieved.

Returns the status of the previous construction, assignment operation, or SetTo() call.

Remove() "unlinks" the entry from its directory. The entry's node isn't destroyed until all file descriptors that are open on the node are closed. This means that if you create BFile based on a BEntry, and then Remove() the BEntry, the BFile will still be able to read and write the file's data—the BFile has no way of knowing that the entry is gone. When the BFile is deleted, the node will be destroyed as well.

Note

Remove() does not invalidate the BEntry. It simply makes it abstract (see "Abstract Entries").

These functions move the BEntry's entry and node to a new location. In both cases, the BEntry must not be abstract—you can't rename or move an abstract entry.

Rename() moves the entry to a new name, as given by path. path is usually a simple leaf name, but it can be a relative path. In the former case (simple leaf) the entry is renamed within its current directory. In the latter, the entry is moved into a subdirectory of its current directory, as given by the argument.

MoveTo() moves the entry to a different directory and optionally renames the leaf. Again, path can be a simple leaf or a relative path; in both cases, path is reckoned off of dir. If path is NULL, the entry is moved to dir, but retains its old leaf name.

If the entry's new location is already taken, the clobber argument decides whether the existing entry is removed to make way for yours. If it's true, the existing entry is removed; if it's false, the Rename() or MoveTo() function fails.

Upon success, this is updated to reflect the change to its entry. For example, when you invoke Rename() on a BEntry, the name of that specific BEntry object also changes. If the rename or move-to isn't successful, this isn't altered.

Frees the BEntry's current entry reference, and initializes it to refer to the entry identified by the argument(s):

• In the ref version, the BEntry is initialized to refer to the given entry_ref.

• In the path version, path can be absolute or relative, and can contain "." and ".." elements. If path is relative, it's reckoned off of the current working directory.

• In the dir/path version, path must be relative. It's reckoned off of the directory given by dir.

The traverse argument is used to resolve (or not) entries that are symlinks:

• If traverse is true, the link is resolved.

• If traverse is false, the BEntry refers to the link itself.

See "Initializing and Traversing" for more information.

When you initialize a BEntry, you're describing a leaf name within a directory. The directory must exist, but the leaf doesn't have to. This allows you to create a BEntry to a file that doesn't exist (yet). See "Abstract Entries" for more information.

Note

Remember—successfully initializing a BEntry consumes a file descriptor. When you re-initialize, the old file descriptor is closed.

Unset() removes the object's association with its current entry, and sets InitCheck() to B_NO_INIT.

In the expression

BEntry a = b;

BEntry a is initialized to refer to the same entry as b. To gauge the success of the assignment, you should call InitCheck() immediately afterwards. Assigning a BEntry to itself is safe.

Assigning from an uninitialized BEntry is "successful": The assigned-to BEntry will also be uninitialized (B_NO_INIT).

Two BEntry objects are said to be equal if they refer to the same entry (even if the entry is abstract), or if they're both uninitialized.

Returns in ref an entry_ref for the file specified by the path argument.

Declared in: storage/Entry.h

struct entry_ref {
               entry_ref();
               entry_ref(dev_t device, ino_t dir, const char* name);
               entry_ref(const entry_ref& ref);
               ~entry_ref();

    status_t   set_name(const char* name);
    bool       operator==(const entry_ref& ref) const;
    bool       operator!=(const entry_ref& ref) const;
    entry_ref& operator=(const entry_ref& ref);

    dev_t      device;
    ino_t      directory;
    char*      name;
}

The entry_ref structure describes a single entry in a directory.

• device contains the device number on which the entry's target is located.

• directory contains the inode of the directory that contains the entry's target.

• name contains the name of the entry.

The constructor for the entry_ref structure. The first of these creates an empty entry_ref, the second duplicates an existing entry_ref, and the last version of the constructor accepts a device number, directory inode number, and a file name and constructs an entry_ref referring to that entry.

The destructor for entry_ref.

Lets you change the name of the file referred to by the entry_ref structure.

operator ==

Lets you perform comparisons of entry_ref structures to see if they refer to the same entry.

operator !=

Lets you test to see if two entry_ref structures refer to different entries.